Espinosa hits 2 homers, drives in 6 in Nats' win

Sep 6, 2010 - 9:37 PM
WASHINGTON(AP) -- The last thing rookie Danny Espinosa expected
five games into his major league career was to take a curtain
call.

Espinosa drove in six runs, hitting a grand slam, a solo homer
and getting two other hits, and helping the Washington Nationals
rout the New York Mets 13-3 Monday for their third straight
victory.

"To have this kind of start is unbelievable," Espinosa said.
"It's an unbelievable feeling. All the emotions are going
through me. It's crazy."

Espinosa, called up from Triple-A on Wednesday, led off the
third inning with a home run off Mike Pelfrey. Espinosa added an
RBI single in the fifth, hit a grand slam off Ryota Igarashi in
the sixth and doubled in the eighth.

"I got a couple of pitches up that I was able to drive. It went
my way today. ... I couldn't have imagined this," Espinosa said.

After the slam, it took a friendly nudge from star Ivan
Rodriguez to coax Espinosa out of the dugout for a curtain call
from the 20,224 at Nationals Park. His parents and two younger
sisters were in attendance.

"That was awesome - the biggest rush. I could see my family up
there and all the fans," Espinosa said.

Espinosa has three homers in his last four games. The
performance earned him a whipped cream pie in the face - instead
of the traditional shaving cream variety, which might have
damaged his contact lenses - from teammate John Lannan.

Washington scored 13 unanswered runs to post its 60th win of the
season, eclipsing the Nationals' total from both 2008 and 2009.

"It's one of those days where you really feel good about where
your organization is going. ... We want to raise the bar a
little higher than that, but it's a step," Washington manager
Jim Riggleman said.

Rodriguez's two-run double ignited a five-run rally in the
fourth. Michael Morse hit a tiebreaking single off Pelfrey
(13-9) as the Nationals came back from a 3-0 deficit. Rodriguez
finished with three RBIs.

Scott Olsen (4-8) picked up the victory with four hitless
innings of relief. It was Olsen's first appearance out of the
bullpen since his 2005 rookie season. Collin Balester worked the
ninth, finishing a three-hitter.

"I don't want to be in the bullpen," he said. "I'd rather start,
but that's not what they want me to do."

Pelfrey lost for the third time in five decisions. He allowed
six runs on five hits and walked three.

"I just see a guy that kind of loses confidence and I see a guy
that doesn't have the presence on the mound," Mets manager Jerry
Manuel said of Pelfrey.

New York took a 2-0 lead in the first without benefit of a hit
out of the infield. Angel Pagan dropped a bunt single, stole
second, went to third when shortstop Espinosa bobbled Chris
Carter's grounder and scored on David Wright's sacrifice fly.
Jordan Zimmermann then walked the next three hitters, a free
pass to Josh Thole forcing home a run.

Thole's RBI single made it 3-0 in the third.

After Espinosa's homer just inside the left-field foul pole in
the third, the Nationals chased Pelfrey in the fourth.
Washington batted around for the third straight game and Pelfrey
walked three batters in the frame.

"They gave me a lead early and we got to the fourth inning and
the wheels fell off," Pelfrey said. "I don't think you can walk
three guys an inning ... and expect good things to happen."

Nyjer Morgan's RBI single finished Pelfrey. Raul Valdes relieved
and hit Adam Kennedy with a pitch before walking Ryan Zimmerman
with the bases loaded to force in a run.

Zimmermann worked four innings, allowing three runs - one earned
- on three hits.

Rodriguez hit an RBI single in the sixth and Espinosa hit a
grand slam off the right-field facade later in the inning.

Notes: Washington RF Willie Harris left the game for
precautionary reasons with dizziness after crashing face-first
into the scoreboard in right-center while trying to catch
Carter's third-inning double. ... Nationals SS Ian Desmond (sore
left hamstring) got the day off from the starting lineup, but
struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. ... Tuesday's game
will feature two starting pitchers making their major league
debuts: Washington LHP Yunesky Maya and Mets RHP Dillon Gee.
Maya is a Cuban defector who was 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five
starts at three different minor league levels, while Gee went
13-8 with a 4.96 ERA in 28 starts at Triple-A Buffalo. "This
year has been unbelievable and especially to end it here. The
main goal was just to go out this year and to prove that I'm
healthy again," said Gee, who missed much of 2009 with a right
shoulder injury. ... Riggleman said Rodriguez and rookie Wilson
Ramos would split the starting catcher's job for the final month
of the season. ... Pelfrey has a 10.98 ERA in two September
starts after posting a 1.20 ERA in five August starts.